It seems that everything was getting more complex and perhaps more unpredictable and contradictory as I moved from the lands of Alpha and Beta to the land of Gamma. What will I find when I arrive at my final destination: the land of Delta? Have these other three lands prepared me for the challenges of Hard Irony in the land of Delta?
Delta: Land of Eternal Ironists [Irony of Reality]
Exhaustion would seem to describe my condition as I enter the fourth and final land. Yet, I am still actively engaged in and wishing to learn from each land – to find out more about myself and about the way in which people think and feel as residents of a specific land. In this fourth land, I will observe how Irony plays out in the life of Delta residents (Soft Irony). I will also examine how I experience Irony in myself while visiting and engaging the land of Delta (Hard Irony).
Exploring Delta
When entering the land of Delta, I am immediately present (and reflecting upon) a Polis (the fourth P and the Greek word for an ideal state or community). While our word for “politics” comes from the Greek word “polis”, the setting in which I find myself is not the political setting of a contemporary legislature or presidential office. Rather, it is filled with dialogue (rather than contentious discussion). The Polis is a place where there is extended and thoughtful explorations of differing (and often contradictory) perspectives and where potential actions are carefully considered as paths to be taken in addressing complex issues.
I am fascinated with what is being said among the fifty to sixty women and men who are standing around in this room. Quite a contrast from the interactions occurring in the Alpha and Gamma parks. And much different from the feel of collective marching in Beta. It seems to be a setting in which the “Republic of Virtue” (so important in the establishment of the American government) is seeking to be present. I think Richard Rorty (1989) would be delighted with the contingency in operation at the Polis.
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